Sam Mogannam is discussing the new Bi-Rite Market on Divisadero, which has finally made its opening date official: March 13.

“Construction was so long and so frustrating because it felt like it took forever. But now, the vision came through,” he continues.

The biggest challenges was working with an old building, which proved to be both a blessing (as seen in the final restoration) and a curse. The latter is largely responsible for the extended timeline.

“We were doing our best to preserve the integrity of the building,” Mogannam says, laughing — but not really joking — that it would have been cheaper and faster if they had built a building from scratch. But old Art Deco flairs are evident in snapshots throughout, like the blue terra cotta tiles on the facade. Light streams in the main space through restored skylights and big windows looking onto Divisadero that preserved the original patterns. Two entrances open up to the street: one for the ice cream counter and on the north side, one for the grocery store, near the cashiers.

Next week, they’ll install a steel and glass awning, as well as backlit signage that is similar to — but not the same as — 18th Street. Once the sign is up, it’s go time. The shelves will be stocked next week, and the kitchen is expected to fire up in the latter half of the week.

In addition to the ice cream component within the market, the other main difference is the cheese counter. They’ll now have the ability to cut cheese to order, which open up plenty of new offerings. Learning from the lessons of the Mission original, Mogannam adds that there will be more room for fish and produce.

As noted in the Bi-Rite newsletter, the first sequel to the Mission institution will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., just like the original. Expect plenty of further coverage in the coming weeks.